The Indianapolis journal., 1887-09-26
A HELPER OF HOMELESS BOYS.
COL HIGHLANDS Explanation Of His Work in
the Interest Of Newsboys and Bootblacks.

Col Alexander Hogeland, Of Lincoln Neb.
the president of the Youths National Home and
Employment Association of America, addressed
large audience at the South-street Baptist
Church, last q light, in behalf of the cause he is
representing. During the day he went about
the streets and gathered a number OF boot
blacks and newsboys, and had them, with the
occupants of the Newsboys' and Bootblacks
Home, present at tho meeting. His talk
devoted principally to explaining the work he
was doing, and urging the cooperation of citi-
zens in assisting him in beneftting the homeless
and friendless boys Of the large cities For ten
years he has been engaged in volunteer benevo-
lent work among the newsboys throughout the
United States. and during that time has rem
dered them assistance in 230 cities by securing
them permanent homes, establishing night
schools for their free instruction and providing
savings banks in which they could
deposit their earnings. His first effort in
their behalf, he said, last night, to
open night school in the old Unitarian Church
at Louisville. The school was experiment,
but it proved great success account Of the
good moral influence it exerted on the newsboys
of that city. Later. he opened a esmmodious
wash and bath room. The experiment.
found 80 beneficial that two years later the city
taking in the newsboys, with an attendance of
600 pupils Another move was the persuading
of a large number of the older boys to quit the
business of bootblacking and go to trades The
second winter of the night school found at least
eighty full-erown young men who, for the want
of suitable encouragement and advice. were
still hanging about the hotels, saloons and street
corners, in some cases using the business a
pretext for loafing. How to induce the boys to
quit the boot-blacking business and enter
manufactures was psrplexing ques-
and an opportunity came to provide
for them all. During the ten years of his work
he had always said to boys over ten years of age
that if they wanted to make mon of themselves,
never black another boot. but 60 and learn
trade OF the boys who entered that first
night school in Louisville, and now grown to
manhood, nearly all are holding trusts of profit
aud responsibility. One is a much esteemed
employe of the Western Union Telegraph Com
pany. anotheris money clerk Of an express COM
pany, q third is general agent Of railroad
transportation company, and a fourth an enter
prising farmer in Kentucky. Two brothers
industrious bill posters and two own a line of
Young Mems Christian Association, and
are machinists and molders. and others are
gagged in various branches of business
The success of his work in Louisville induced
him to go to ST. Louis The second night he
was there he went over the city with reporter
and found one hundred homeless boys sleeping
ings, and In fact everywhere they could find
place to lay down. A few months work there
resulted in the same beneficial results in
Louisville, and his work extended to kap-
City and other large cities
sit was no trouble" be said, 'to make a bad
boy good. All that was needed was to make his
home pleasant, and give him employment"
Since he had begun the work he had secured
pleasant homes himself for over three hundred
bad boys. and they had always become good.
He said ne knew people who professed Christi
auity for twenty years, and he did not know
what they had done for humanity. He
doubted the Christianity of any person who
would see homeless boys go uushsltered through
the winter and render them no assistance. If
man should leave his horse stand in the cold
all day without food, he would be arrested for
cruelty to animals, and yet hundreds of boys in
every large city go cold and hungry for months,
and no one thinks them worthy of
notice The people, he said. should
Importance. The psniteniiaries were filled with
outcasts from the streets who haoitualy grew
into criminals. There are one hundred mon in
every penitentiary for woman. To send
each one of these persons costs the State s. 000
What a saving there would be if all these per-
sons were saved from the Denitentiary by being
taught some trade. and kept at work during the
years they fell into vicious ha bits.
Colonel Hogeland closed his talk by exhibit
ing number OF pictures on canvas. showing
the hardships many boys with whom he had
met had had to endure. At the conclusion of
the address, Frank Jones. a tenyear old boy,
living at the Newsboy's Home, offered prayer.
Mr.. Hogeland will remain in the city several
weeks and work in the interest of the homeless
boys. If he is encouraged by the citizens he may
open night school for the benefit OF the boys.
A special effort will be made to induce the older
bootblacks and newsboys to learn some trade.
With this end in view Mr. HoReland will visit
the manufacturers during the noon hour and
present to them the necessity of opening their
doors to all the boys who willing work.
He will also mako effort to raise money for
the benefit of the Newsboy's Home. which is at
present financially embarrassed and unable to
pay the rent upon the house occupied. A series
of meetings will be held during this week and
next The first meeting will be hello Tuesday
evening at the Second Christian Church.